Opinion

Chick-fil-A flap is a free speech issue

Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy is in hot water with the LGBT community because he committed the cardinal sin in an age of political correctness: Thou must not speak ill of anything gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgenders wish to do.

In an interview with the Baptist Press and later on a Christian radio program, Cathy, whose father, the philanthropist Truett Cathy, founded the company, defended marriage between a man and a woman and when asked about the company’s support of traditional marriage said, “Guilty as charged. We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit.” Cathy believes American society is rotting (and where is evidence to the contrary?) because the country has turned away from God.

That was it. Cathy did not say he would deny someone with a different view than his the right to eat in or work at any of his fast-food restaurants, which would violate the law. He did not say anything hateful about them. He simply expressed a deeply held conviction rooted in his Christian faith.

The reaction tells you everything you need to know about certain liberals who believe every sort of speech, activity and expression should be protected, except the speech, activity and expression of evangelical Christians.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said he would try to deny Chick-fil-A’s application for permits to open restaurants in that city. Now that’s discrimination. Menino wants to ban Chick-fil-A in Boston, not for discriminating against customers or employees, but because of its owner’s beliefs, a threat he has since backed away from. Does Boston have “thought police” who might be ordered to investigate whether other business owners already operating in the city hold similar views? I’ll bet there’s someone at Durgin-Park who holds similar views. What about a player for the Boston Red Sox? Better follow them to see if any of them go to church.

Maybe Mayor Menino would like to force business owners in the city to testify before an official panel of grand inquisitors and then deny operating licenses to anyone who believes traditional marriage should be the norm?

In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said, “Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values.” Are Chicago values represented by the anti-Semitic firebrand Louis Farrakhan with whom Emanuel is going to partner in hopes of reducing the number of homicides in his city? Are Farrakhan’s anti-Semitic and anti-gay sentiments somehow more palatable, more of value, than Dan Cathy’s support of marriage and family?

The Weekly Standard found a video posted on the Nation of Islam’s website of a Farrakhan speech two months ago in which he blasted President Obama for endorsing same-sex marriage. Farrakhan said Obama is “the first president that sanctioned what the scriptures forbid.” He added, “sin is sin according to the standard of God” and “the Bible forbids it.”

That goes a lot further than Dan Cathy.

The Jim Henson Company has decided to pull its Creature Shop toys from Chick-fil-A and donate profits already made to GLAAD, the media-monitoring group that promotes the image of LGBT people. I knew Jim Henson when we both worked at the NBC-TV station in Washington in the mid-1960s. While we never discussed politics, I don’t think at the time, at least, he would have wanted his characters, which appeal to everyone, involved in a cultural and political battle.

This is more than an economic battle. It is a First Amendment issue. Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Constitution. Dan Cathy has a right to his opinion, so does Farrakhan, so do we all.

The real “war” in this country is not only against the supposed civil right of nontraditional marriage. It is a war against conservative Christians and a denial of the same rights the LGBT community claims for itself. Free speech is an American value. We shouldn’t settle for anything less.

So, BAA. Are you saying that we should all be forced to eat at a Chick a fil? We don't have a choice where we spend our money? He should have kept his business out of these issues. But if he doesn't like gay people, I guess this is one way to keep them out of his restaurant, isn't it? By the way there is one of these in the Legends. You can drive up there a couple of times a week to eat there if you'd like. I'm not stopping you. I just won't join you.

Yep, free speech is indeed an American value. Intolerance, hatred and bigotry are not so much, unless you're from the Phelps clan or their ilk. Focus on your own family, "Christians."
Wonder which party Phred's registered as?

The Phelps clan are registered Democrats, believe it or not. (I wonder how long that's going to last, though, since the DNC has announced that they are including "marriage equality" as an official plank in their party platform.)

And it was delusional every time it was said. There's strong resistance to "Christians" who want to use government to impose their own personal choices on others; if you think that's a "war against conservative Christians" it's certainly a defensive war to protect, not restrict, freedom of belief. It's impossible to take any of this self-styled right wing victimhood seriously.

I call BS. Nobody denies Cathy his right to say what he said...what people are protesting is that he believes in discrimination. What sense does it make when he says he believes in discriminating against gay people when it comes to marriage, then turns around and says he doesn't discriminate against gay employees or customers, all the while donating money to causes that actively discriminate against those same gay customers and employees?

Stop using your religion as an excuse to justify discrimination. If you truly believed in Jesus's teachings, you'd support equal rights for all on Earth and let your god sort it out later.

Parrot. FAIL. If you truly believe in Jesus's teachings, you will believe what the Bible says. It does not support Gay marriage, lifestyle or morals.
You should know what you are talking about before you spout off.

"This is more than an economic battle. It is a First Amendment issue. Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Constitution. Dan Cathy has a right to his opinion, so does Farrakhan, so do we all."

This has nothing to do w/ freedom of speech. Cathy has been and always will be free to speak his mind. But just like everyone else, he will never be free from the ramifications of what he says. And anyone running a company, particularly one w/ a national brand and widespread marketing, should be aware that grasping such a highly charged 'third rail' will inevitably lead to some sort of backlash. No doubt Emanuel and Menino jumped the shark w/ their reactions, but the blame for this all lies w/ Cathy.

Menino's posturing has and will ban NOTHING. People in high places blather on about all sorts of stupid notions. Check out that mean spirited old Cal Thomas! He wastes his time trying to make sense and then vomits up his whole point in the last paragraph, rendering the whole mess impossible to digest.

so you found a proponent of the colonial euro american religion model....
the one that tries to insert euro american bigotry into minority cultures religious practices.....
thanks for proving my point on it's origins.....euro american attitudes......
ever heard of equal protection under the law or the Civil Rights Act of 1964....
oh that's right.....that's what drove the southern racist archie bunkers to
the gop.....again thanks for proving my point......now speak some drd droid
nonsense....and find some way to use nuanced beyond your vocabulary level....

http://holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com/2012/07/simple-answers-to-questions-about-chick.html
"Simple answers to the questions about the Chick-Fil-A boycott"
Read it. It's worth it. Of special note is this:
"While it is true that the WinShape foundation has a number of admirable programs for at-risk youth, it would also appear that WinShape believes that “curing” homosexuality (a concept that is roundly rejected by the scientific community) and preventing same-sex couples from being legally married is something that trains leaders and makes families stronger – because they give A LOT of money to foundations and advocacy groups that are hostile to the LBGT people.

In the year 2010 alone, WinShape donated nearly 2 million dollars to groups with anti-gay agendas:

$1,188,380 to the Marriage & Family Foundation (founded by Bubba Cathy (Dan’s Brother) the MFA provides funding to organizations that preach that the American family is threatened by the proliferation of same-sex couples )

$480,000 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (dedicated to “curing” gay athletes);

$247,500 to the National Christian Foundation (is a grant-making foundation that has provides money to anti-gay groups like Focus on the Family, Family Life, and the Family Research Council);

$54,000 to the New Mexico Christian Foundation (the New Mexico branch of the NCF);

$1,000 to the Family Research Council (which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of the provable falsehoods it spreads about gay men and lesbians);

$2,500 to the Georgia Research Council (which lobbies against marriage equality, both in Georgia and around the US); and

$1,000 to Exodus International, an organization dedicated to “curing homosexuality” and whose board member Don Schmierer had a hand in the creation of a bill in Uganda that could "punish homosexuality" with death .

So every chicken sandwich and waffle fry you purchase helps to fund one of those organizations. "

While I totally agree that Dan Cathy has a first amendment right to free speech and to spend his money how he sees fit, I have a right to not eat his chicken and to urge other people to do the same. This means MY dollar is not going to be used to fund programs with which I do not agree. If this reduces Cathy's business to a "niche market" then it must be understood this is the market HE chose and for all of you believers in "free market principles", this is how it works. Don't like it? Tough.

But Cal, that's not all he said in that interview. Cathy also said kids from gay households or those who grow up "without a mom AND a dad" are emotionally challenged. And that it makes it harder as an employer who has to take a parenting role. He also said that we are inviting God's judgement on us, because we are arrogant and prideful to change what marriage is about.

There are other employers in this country who have the same biblical view on marriage, but do not go out and give speeches as such. they give equality to their employees.

I personally think the issue is more about equality than the "biblical" definition of marriage. But I choose not to give my money to Chick-man at this time, so it does not support such attitudes.

Conservative xtians want more than free speech. They want free speech without consequences.

They want to spew whatever hatred and intolerance that comes into their minds, and then be free from any criticism of their speech. Criticism of their free speech becomes a violation of religious liberty. Bullocks.

They want special treatment, in other words. Like children. Embarrassing.

Dan Cathy has every right to express his opinion, but we have every right to boycott a business. Not that I have ever eaten at a Chik a fil. They name has always seemed strange to me.

Sorry, Mr. Cathy. You were representing your company. If some customers didn't like it, then you should have kept your mouth shut. I'm sure there are enough Christians out there to make up for the lost business.

I know I was forced to divorce immediately upon finding out that gay couples could marry. Well, I expect to be forced to divorce. I mean, that's the only reason we'd need to do all this "supporting," right? Because giving someone else the right to marry would immediately take it away from us or not make it special or convert us to paganism or... better eat some fattening fried sandwiches and not think too hard.

OOO don't you kinda like being called "sinister"? Makes me think we have a little Batman in us. I like Batman. Snap is so clever using Latin, too. Don't you think so? I bet he has one of those posters that says "Illegitami non carborundum".

Businesses that have been boycotted, including pressure placed on local officials to shut the businesses down, by major, nationwide, media savvy right-wing organizations in the past for their support of the homosexual agenda or for being considered pro-choice:

What a load of crap. President Obama once held the exact same position on homosexual marriage as President of Chick-fil-a does. Where was the universal outrage from the homosexual community over that? This inconsistency is as common as it is indicative of the intolerant hypocrisy practiced every day by the forces of “tolerance” and “diversity” in our country. The pro-homosexual people are squandering a lot of good will with this senseless tirade, just like fundamentalist Christians do when they get off on a tear about some topic that alienates a bunch of people. American society was built on a healthy respect for a wide range of opinions because societies that attack and suppresses contrary opinion suck.

OK....hows this for a re-phrase: "How come the homosexual community is an order of magnitude more upset with the President of Chick-fil-a than they were with the President of the United States for voicing the exact same opinion."

The President of Chick-fil-a said nothing about denying anyone anything.

In 2004 Obama stated he publicly supported domestic partnerships and civil unions, but his also said he did not support gay marriage.

“I am a fierce supporter of domestic-partnership and civil-union laws,” he said. “I am not a supporter of gay marriage as it has been thrown about primarily just as a strategic issue.” said Barrack Obama.

The subject of my post was gay "marriage" and the comments made by the Chick-fil-a President Dan Cathy that have stirred all this controversy were about his position on gay “marriage” - not civil unions.

And just so we have the source of all this BS, here is what the man actually said in the interview that started all this controversy. Notice he never once used the words "gay" or "marriage." The man is being attacked for publically stating that he supports traditional marriage. That, somehow, has become a bad thing in this country. That's pretty freaking pathetic if you ask me.

BTW, it’s Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day today and lines at some restaurants are reported to be over ¼ mile long right now.

Dan Cathy Quote:

“We don’t claim to be a Christian business,” Cathy told the Biblical Recorder in a recent visit to North Carolina. He attended a business leadership conference many years ago where he heard Christian businessman Fred Roach say, “There is no such thing as a Christian business.”

“That got my attention,” Cathy said. Roach went on to say, “Christ never died for a corporation. He died for you and me.”

“In that spirit … [Christianity] is about a personal relationship. Companies are not lost or saved, but certainly individuals are,” Cathy added. “But as an organization we can operate on biblical principles. So that is what we claim to be. [We are] based on biblical principles, asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have. And He has blessed us.”

And the marriage thing?

The company invests in Christian growth and ministry through its WinShape Foundation (WinShape.com). The name comes from the idea of shaping people to be winners. It began as a college scholarship and expanded to a foster care program, an international ministry, and a conference and retreat center modeled after the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove.

“That morphed into a marriage program in conjunction with national marriage ministries,” Cathy added.

Some have opposed the company’s support of the traditional family. “Well, guilty as charged,” said Cathy when asked about the company’s position. “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. …”

“We are very much committed to that,” Cathy emphasized. “We intend to stay the course,” he said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

The bigot that owns Chick-fil-A has the right to say/think whatever he wants to. That's what makes this country great. I, also, have the right to my own thoughts and feelings. Thinking that he is a bigot and he supports an antiquated way of looking at life, I have every right to never spend another penny at Chick-fil-A as long as I live (not that I did much anyway because their food is crap). Instead of being up in arms about this as*hat and his pathetic opinion, protest with your dollars.

The food at Chick-fil-a is ungodly inedible. The food is too salty, too sweet, too greasy and then it's all washed down with those lovely high fructose drinks. Yup, heart attack in a bag. So eat up all of you who believe you are being god-like and stuff that hate-made food into your temple. Karma is some times a slow moving girl, but those arteries remember everything.

Dan Cathy has every right to say what he wants and spend his own money any way he wants. It that was all it was, then I think the corporations which are customers of Chick-fil-a would be wrong to let his personnel beliefs influence their business dealings.

Plus KCTV and a few other sources, you know, for those of us who bother to look things up. I suspect that it would not have been mentioned if nobody bothered to show up. For instance, the KU cafeteria probably had no crowding or lines, and this factoid will not get mentioned. Because nothing happening is usually not news.

Sorry to misinterpret your laziness from the Google as an attempt to imply that the lamestream media is biased against covering faux populist demonstrations instigated by media personalities. I know they didn't touch the heckling of town hall meetings a couple years back, and it's a good thing I had the Internet to tell me about the Tea Party, or I'd never have heard of them.

The fact that people went shopping because some rich man on the TV told them to? Yes, that makes it part of the faux populist movement they've been selling you for quite a while. Just because your'e really buying what he's selling you doesn't make it real populism. Wise up, indeed.

Got to love it! People lining up to show their bigotry by eating over priced chicken. Oh do I miss George Carlin. Would love to take "a front row seat to the Freak Show" next to him of present day America. It just gets better everyday. His comments would have me LMAO,,,,

Other posters have already pretty much covered my response to this piece (he's got a right to think/say what he wants, I've got a right to think he's an a-hole, blah blah blah) except for this -

LJ World, can you please please pretty pretty please look into finding some non-hacky opinion columnists to publish? Like, ones who actually understand how the first amendment works and don't resort to oversimplification of issues and/or name calling to make their point?

"The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen." - Jerry Falwell (about 9/11)

This dude Cathy seems to be cut from the same cloth as all the other zealots that say crazy spit. They have lost my money! Let me work my free speech, people like you Dan, ARE one of the main reasons why America (Merica for you others) is sucking big time! Die off already, the other dinosaurs have.

Here is another golden oldie of hate:
"AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals. To oppose it would be like an Israelite jumping in the Red Sea to save one of Pharaoh's charioteers ... AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals." -J. Falwell

I've never eaten at Chik-fil-A once in my 38 years of existence (primarily because, coming from a butcher family, whenever we'd go out to eat, it was probably a steakhouse or something similar), but someone told me that they have awesome waffle fries.

I am able to keep politics separate from awesome waffle fries. :) Now, if their waffle fries suck, then I will go back to no longer eating there (being that I prefer things that moo), but if their waffle fries are indeed the bomb, then I will continue to go there. :D

Others are saying: "...The past two weeks have brought to light a truly disturbing political demonstration — and it has nothing to do with presidential elections or generic congressional ballots. At least three mayors in some of America's largest cities, as well as plenty of other city officials, have publicly demanded political orthodoxy as a condition of doing business in their metropolises. Political correctness has transformed into a strange American version of fascism — over a chicken fillet sandwich and an opinion about marriage that even our Democratic president officially held as recently as two months ago..."

Feel bad about these cfa supporters. Hopefully they repent tonight for they have sinned. Is gluttony still on that "Thou Shalt Not..." list? I'm pretty sure fast food would be considered gluttonous. Especially if you're going 3 times today.

know what you are talking about before proffing yourself... Gluttonous is NOT a "Ten commandment"
second this is terrible for the "Gay" movement .
Decide to Attack a Christian for his free speech and this has backfired HUGE!
Chic-fil-A will triple the business! the silent majority will only take so much.
most have zero problem with what YOU do. the only reason gay marrige ever bothered me was if costs went up , aka government workers now have to cover partners benifits... insurance, etc.
IF protesters do manage to get chic-fil-a off campus watch for the backlash against gay owned businesses. this man expressed his opinon.. wonder how people would feel about the Churchs coming out and asking all Christians to vote against the Mayors in Chicago and Boston that came out against chi-fil-a ,,, IF that happened people would squeal like pigs.. the seperation of Church and state was to protect free gathering for religious purposes NOT to protect Government ! PERIOD ! with Mayors attacking business this is absurd. IT WILL BACKFIRE! watch the news supporters lined up for miles to buy chic-fil-a today. I have not eaten in one and did not know we had one in Lawrence will be there tomorrow !!!!!!! will buy all my gay friends a sandwich , but only at chic-fil-a :)

My bad. It's one of the seven deadly sins. I never said it was one of the ten commandments. Here's this...Proverbs 23:20-21 warns us, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” Proverbs 28:7 declares, “He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.” Proverbs 23:2 proclaims, “Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.” Good job at deflecting the fact that it is a sin though.

How is anyone "Attacking a Christian"? "........this has backfired HUGE! Chic-fil-A will triple the business!" Who cares? Wow this guy WON! He GOT richer! Caps LOCK is KING!

No one is saying that this guy can't say what he wants. They're just saying that they don't want to give him money so he can give it to groups trying to deny equal rights to a group of others.

please do not quote the old testament and speak of the sins of Christians. and where did he say he was giving money to deny rights? when gays are homeless they go to the shelters run by churches and are welcome with open arms. fed and helped up. not all Christians are like Fred Phelps.. actually less than .0000001 percent.. I am far from the perfect Christian , but I will support this man to his free speach . millions will not allow a few to try to put him out of business. sorry for the caps.. get excited ...

New Testament then? "Gluttony is sometimes represented in the New Testament by the word, phagos. Phagos means "a glutton." Phagos appears twice, in Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34, in false accusations made against Jesus. Uniformly in the New Testament, gluttony is represented as a sinful condition that Christians especially ought to avoid." and "The New Testament includes gluttony in its catalog of sins, as already noted (Titus 1:12; Philippians 3:19). Gluttony is a companion to other sins, which together paint a picture of an ungodly lifestyle. Gluttony is part of a careless lifestyle punctuated with sin (Luke 12:19, i.e. "...eat, drink and be merry"). Gluttony is often associated with drunkenness, too (Luke 12:45, i.e. "...to eat and drink, and to be drunken"). (See also Isa. 22:13.)" http://www.gospelgazette.com/gazette/2006/mar/page9.htm

What would it matter with you, Snap? Out of 10 people that had views you didn't agree with, 9 could be civil and one would be a jerk, and you'd take that one and claim them representative of everybody.

Someone who uses virtually every post to call others names has no legs to stand on when it comes to calls for civility.

Other than the general disappointment in the do-nothing Republicans in Congress, progressives have very little to be disappointed with. The Supreme Court rulings recently upheld the Affordable Care Act and struck down most of the Arizona immigration law. Allowing gays in the military and the Democrats' support for gay marriage as part of their platform are major steps in the right direction. Progressives are quite pleased right now. Conservatives on the other hand? Not so much. It appears it is the regressives who are disappointed.

Here's the deal, people. Since this whole soiree started, after Dan Cathy went public with his remarks and people have discovered just how much money Cathy has been pouring into his anti LGBT agenda, brand trust in Chick Fil A has dropped over 40%. In one month, those people that stopped going to Cathy's fast food restaurants will still be...not going to Chick Fil A. Those people who showed up there today in their "solidarity action" will still be going. Once a week. Maybe. Depends on how well they actually value their arteries. I just don't see all of those anti gay church goers actually going there enough to pick up the slack. Bottom line (heehee I made a pun) Dan Cathy is going to lose money. Now, he has every right to open his mouth. He has every right to spend his money how he sees fit. BUT he also has the right to face the consequences of opening his mouth. This is called "free enterprise" and the "free market". I think it's hilarious that it's actually biting you guys in the tush. Let's revisit this in a month or two, shall we?

"Cathy did not say he would deny someone with a different view than his the right to eat in or work at any of his fast-food restaurants, which would violate the law. He did not say anything hateful about them. He simply expressed a deeply held conviction rooted in his Christian faith."

And pays groups money to lobby for laws to deny people marriage who don't fit into his Christian faith. Which is, of course, the real problem.

They could also work to criminalize adultery, since adultery actually does destroy marriages.It's even on the big tote board of 10 thou-shalt-nots. No one else's marriage, gay or straight, had anything to do with the destruction of my marriage. Serial adultery by the fundie catholic ex destroyed my marriage. Why don't the anti-gay bigots spend themselves on eliminating adultery?

They sure did stick it to Chick-Fil-A with all the boycott threats. Not so long ago in this country people could agree to disagree. Now you think they must be destroyed. What the HELL is wrong with those of you who preach this crap. If I boycotted all the people I disagreed with at some point I'd have no friends and neither would you. Get over yourselves. I don't agree with the comment he made in the slightest yet he is entitled to his opinions regardless of how outdated you or I may think they are. This whole thing has been like watching a bunch of spoiled children throw the worlds biggest fit.

Actually, Hoots, it's not what he said that's the problem. I don't give two hoots (heehee I made another pun) what he said. What I care about is all of the money he's pouring into this agenda; some of which is actually going out of the country. (One of the groups he donated money to lobbied for giving the death penalty...the DEATH PENALTY, for gawds sake... to gay people in Uganda.) I don't boycott him for what he said, I boycott him for what he does with the money he makes from me, even if it's no more than a dime. That's MY dime he donated to those groups and I refuse to let him have that dime anymore. That's a big difference from boycotting somebody just because of what they said.

And you are just as free to give money in support of these groups and issues. That is the premise this country was founded on. So don't eat there...fine. It just seems these boycotts are always a huge waste of time and solve nothing. Lucky for him this may work in his favor at least in the short term. Personally, I think he was an idiot for speaking to the issue. As a business person I think you"re better off flying under the radar politically and religiously. As for the Uganda thing. I wouldn't believe everything you read online. I think the government would have him under investigation or locked up if that were true.

Rabid opponents of same-sex marriage look as foolish as those who once opposed interracial marriage as immoral/contrary to God's will/unamerican.
And I would suspect that many are the very same folks.
So wrap your flag around yourselves tightly and enjoy your sammich, bigots.

Mmmmm Christian chicken!!!! Who cares!!! Would you stop feeding your baby if Johnson&Johnson made some ignorant comment??? It's chicken for petes sake!!! More important things to discuss then some idiots personal views...

The only Chick-fil-A in town is in the Underground, a food court for students on campus in Wescoe. Let us see if young people are supportive or dismissive of Mr.Cathy. Last Time I checked, KU is considered a very liberal campus with a large community of LGBT members and supporters. Let the Boycott and Protests begin.

An interesting perspective from a gay Chick-Fil-A employee. (Yes, Dan Cathy hires gay employees. Why should he discriminate when the "Massa" needs minimum wage "help"?)
From the article:
"It’s going to be a long fall from the saddles of their high horses, once we do have equal marriage rights. Their descendants will be ashamed of them, just as I’m ashamed of my grandparents’ support of segregation. When their children and grandchildren ask, “How was it possible to be Christian and oppose equal rights?” their own words will choke them. They don’t need food to do it for them."

Welcome Back!
I mean, welcome aboard, new user!
A "majority of Americans" once favored slavery.
Didn't make it right.
A "majority of Americans" once favored denying blacks and women the right to vote.
Didn't make it right.
A "majority of Americans" once favored outlawing interracial marriage.
Didn't make it right.
And, frankly, there are those of the cloth of a variety of racial backgrounds who need a strong reality check. So, your suggestion that we turn this into a racial issue is moot.

The state/government need not have any business defining "marriage." Maybe this was stated by another poster above, but here's a simple solution: the government recognize civil unions between two adults, does not define or sanction marriage. People can/would still marry. It becomes viewed as more of a cultural/religious construct, not a legal entity. Then the religious angle is not a factor. I can already hear those who say "What stops the civil union definition at two adults, wouldn't polygamy have to be accepted?" Well, I think a case can be made that more than 2 stretches the bounds of tradition and practicality. Imagine the legal and court tangles if the union involving, say, 7 people, wants to change to 5 people. Propoerty division, child custody, etc, becomes a confusing mess.
Anyway, civil unions, Yes. Government get out of the business of marriage.

Perhaps, some day, all the anti-gay folks, after their unexamined emotional reactions have subsided, will see that they fell for a very good con that had no other goal than increasing a particular corporation's profits.

In the mean time, more and more same-sex couples will support marriage by entering into married relationships.

The truly conservative position is one that accounts for change by incorporating that change into existing institutions.

remember when Governor Huckaby was 300 pounds? lots of chik fil a....nothing
like knowing MS, ARK, and many other southern states have the unhealthiest
diets.....let darwinism take out the heavies....then deny evolution......
let everything else in this country go to the handbasket and bring
up chicken as a right of freedom.....what dunces....and proud of it.....

Sounds like you've quite a crush there. No wonder you're threatened by the attack on your "traditional marriage."
Did you make sure to say grace before dinner and make special efforts to drive home the message of bigotry to your child? And did you say hi to Phred?

I must have missed something; I have not hear Mr. Cathy complaining about lost business. Mike Huckabee started the support Chick-fil-A day through his radio program.

It didn't look like Chick-fil-A's business was hurting any in the photos I saw of lines with 75 minute waits for a fast food chicken sandwich! I couldn't go on Wednesday - but I plan to and plan to let the local store know why I am there. That's because I believe in the biblical, traditional definition of marriage between a man and a woman and because I am an American with inalienable rights - among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

To read those comments one would think that the idea of a boycott is brand new. What about the AFA and K-Mart 20 years ago? We all have a right to shop where we want and make those choices based in part on the company. That's why I have given up on JC Penney, which a year or so ago, was my favorite clothing store. But, their ads, especially mother's and father's day, and having EllenDeGeneres as a spokesman changed that opinion. FOr the smae reasons, I stay away from Abercrombie.

So if you prefer some progressive and perveted concept of marriage, stay away from Chick-fil-a - but don't make it a hate-monger issue and accuse a good, Christian businessman of the same for speaking the truth. It is at least possible that the most loving thing a person can do is speak the truth - even if it is unpopular and has consequencs.

I've only eaten at Cahay's restaurant once - and it wasn't bad. I predict he will gain a committed and growing customer who will support a quality company.

I am disappointed that Mike Huckabee, who worked so hard to lose weight and eliminate his obesity related health issues and who was a big inspiration for many who also struggled with weight issues, would encourage people to go to a fast food restaurant and encourage them to continue to eat such unhealthy items.

It's so amusing to watch the left ( the first to cry but but but... first amendment...) poo poo unpopular ( in their opinion ) free speech. Does the contant contradiction of values ever get so confusing you can't remember what your fighting about? That's the issue I have always had with the left conflict, contradiction and clueless. Make up your mind are you for or against free speech ?

Once again here we are in an election year and this is what people want to get all bent about. We have HUGE financial problems as a nation yet as in years past we engross ourselves in things like contraception, abortion, etc. All while we are 16 trillion in debt and the sky is indeed falling. People are so easily distracted from the really big issues...meanwhile the southbound train is looming in the distance coming to crush them parked on the tracks.